Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer,
is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large
intestine). It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to
invade or spread to other parts of the body. Signs and symptoms may include
blood in the stool, a change in bowel movements, weight loss, and feeling tired
all the time. Most colorectal cancers are due to old age and lifestyle factors
with only a small number of cases due to underlying genetic disorders. Treatments
used for colorectal cancer may include some combination of surgery, radiation
therapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Cancers that are confined within
the wall of the colon may be curable with surgery while cancers that have
spread widely are usually not curable, with management focusing on improving quality
of life and symptoms. Globally, colorectal cancer is the third most common type
of cancer making up about 10% of all cases. In 2012, there were 1.4 million new
cases and 694,000 deaths from the disease.
In the present book, fifteen typical literatures about colorectal neoplasms published on international
authoritative journals were selected to introduce the worldwide newest
progress, which contains reviews or original researches on medical science, colorectal cancer, epidemiology, ect. We hope this book can demonstrate advances in colorectal neoplasms
as well as give references to the researchers, students and other related
people.